The Mission
by forever.sasunaru
Summary: Sasuke and Naruto are sent on a mission to deliver a package to Iwagakure. In the midst of a sparring session one night, a secret is revealed and Sasuke flees. Can Naruto find him and get him back? Boy love, currently no lemon but if you guys want one, well hey, that's what I'm here for. Up to you if it's Sasunaru/Narusasu. Read and Review!


**Me again… did you miss me? :) No lemon in this, so if that's what you came here for, I'm sorry BUT if you think that this fic could use a lemon chapter READ AND REVIEW AND TELL ME SO! :D Hope you enjoy! And sorry if this is really sappy… I'm in a sappy mood…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor am I making any profit out of this. This is purely for my and hopefully my readers' enjoyment.**

Out in the middle of the forests surrounding Iwagakure, two figures slipped silently between the trees, leaping off sturdy branches and bounding off the boulders scattered on the forest floor. Commissioned from the Godaime, Tsunade herself, Naruto and Sasuke sped through the undergrowth, the parcel for the leader of Iwa nestled carefully in the depths of the ravens pack.

Slowing down, Naruto started to diverge from their path, his eyes adjusting quickly to the steadily darkening dusk. Spotting a well concealed clearing not 100 metres from their current position, the blonde called his teammate over and set about collecting firewood to set up camp before their visibility was drastically reduced by the night. Dumping his pack unceremoniously next to the wood he'd collected, Naruto unrolled his bedroll and plopped down on it.

"You just going to lie there, dobe?" Sasuke's pissed off voice issued from a few feet away. "You could at least pretend to help with food preparations."

Naruto grinned. "Why would I pretend to help when you'd just send me away for getting in the way or eating everything before it goes into the pot?"

"Hn."

Stoking the fire, Sasuke glanced over at the figure sprawled on the dark green sleeping bag. He couldn't help but notice how the tight black shirt Naruto was wearing rode up on his bronze, defined stomach, free from the constraints of his open jounin vest. The way his muscles dipped in a tanned V towards the top of his pants, the way everything he wore clung to him like a second skin. _I'd certainly like to cling to him like a second skin,_ Sasuke mused. _Or be his second skin… or be in him with our skin rubbing and chafing, rocking and pounding to-_

"Erm…Sasuke? What're you staring at?" Naruto eyed the raven curiously, watching as he shook himself and the glazed look in his eyes faded.

"Nothing. The food's ready."

Sasuke would have given a sigh of relief- but didn't of course, he was an Uchiha for heaven's sake. Ladling the ramen that had been cooking over the fire, he watched the dobe's eyes light up at the look and smell of his favourite food and smirked, pleased at the reaction.

"Sasukeeeeee, you're the beeeest! Honestly I should request missions with you more often!" Naruto sang out with glee, snapping his chopsticks and eying the special bamboo shoots he'd brought along just so he could get Sasuke to make him ramen.

"Hn. We always get stuck together on missions, dobe, no one else wants to come on them with me since I got back."

"Not the point! Now shut up and let me eat!" Naruto, as overly excitable as ever, had practically finished his bowl already in between the brief pauses in speech. Starting to eye off Sasuke's bowl of ramen, he pouted as the man turned his back on him, grumbling about how if he kept this up he'd be starved by the end of the mission.

"Naw, Sasuke, you can't even spare a little bit of that delicious ramen for a friend in need?"

"No."

Two minutes later and Naruto was getting jittery. Why should Sasuke get ramen when he doesn't?

"Hey Sasuke, can we spar yet? Or is the pretty goth princess still eating? Huh? Huh? Play with meeeeeee."_Oh I wish I could_, Sasuke thought. _Wait what? Pretty? Princess? Naruto! _ Pestering the raven was Naruto's preferred method of getting what he wanted from him, and Sasuke quickly gave in when the idiot started calling him stupid names. After all, his pride could only take so much. And it was, dare he say it, quite troublesome when Naruto was overheard calling him some new ridiculous creation

The two started the macabre dance, circling at first and launching at each other whenever a weakness was spotted. It wasn't until Naruto dropped his guard on his left flank when an impatient Sasuke struck, growling as the idiot just managed to block the worst of it and catching hold of his foot. Twisting round to kick Naruto in the face, Sasuke used his trapped foot as leverage and kicked against the hands holding him as one left to defend the blonde's face.

He felt Sasuke kick into his chest, slightly winding him as his other foot sped up to kick Naruto in the temple. Time after time again the two came together, kicking and punching, flipping and circling. It was only when Naruto stumbled slightly and landed on his ass when Sasuke pounced, straddling his waist and pinning his arms down.

Blue glared into black as Naruto squirmed, trying to get out of the vice-like grip. Something really hard was pressed against his hip, and it was getting really uncomfortable.

"Sasuke, did you not take your kunai or whatever out of your pockets before we started?"

Sasuke froze, and couldn't do anything as Naruto managed to wrench one of his wrists free. He watched Naruto's slim fingers disappear into his empty pocket, the dobe's face twisting with confusion. The hand jerked down further, trying to find this "elusive kunai" when it brushed Sasuke's very hard and very prominent manhood.

A hiss slipped out from between his clenched teeth, eyes rolling back and squeezing shut, only to snap open as he heard Naruto's mouth pop open in surprise. Sasuke leapt off the blonde and started to run blindly through the trees, barely aware of the crashing and swearing behind him, or his name being called out desperately. _Naruto knows,_ whispered a voice in his head. _Naruto knows and he's going to hate you, he's going to hate you for being who and what you are. _

Tears started dripping down Sasuke's face haphazardly, ignoring the swipes made at them in an attempt to make them cease flowing. He growled and ran up a tree, content to lay on the branch out of sight and cry all night. Then in the morning, he'd go back to camp, pretend that nothing ever happened and continue with the mission.

_And after?_ Well, after… He'd have to leave Konoha again. Sasuke couldn't live with Naruto hating him, couldn't bare it.

The crashing between the trees started to veer off away from his position. _ I don't know why he's trying to find me anyway. Probably to hit me. Tell me it's unnatural and disgusting. _A choked sob made its way out of the man's throat, tremors wracking Sasuke's body.

Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes flare with panic and fear as he reached into the other's pocket to rid the "kunai" digging into him. _Oh,_ was the only thought brushing gently through his mind. _I see._ But then Sasuke had up and bolted, bouncing off trees more than he avoided them in his attempts to flee.

_Why is he running? Doesn't he realise…? _All thoughts evaded him as he started to sprint after Sasuke, sending Bunshin clones out every to look for him. _Please, please don't have gone far… _ _You don't know…don't realise…_

The original Naruto spotted the raven 50 metres or so north-west of his position, climbing up a tree and clawing - no, swiping? - at his face before coming to rest on one of the thick boughs. He climbed up the tree ever so softly, perched on a branch just under Sasuke. His heart wrenched as his best friend let out a sob, the torturous sound testing his ability to stay put and not jump up there and comfort him. Liquid filled Naruto's eyes as he was forced to sit there and just listen to Sasuke's pain, spilling over with each renewed sob.

Slowly the sobs turned into deep shuddering breaths, which in turn morphed into the silent deep breathing of a person sleeping. Drying off his face, Naruto crept up to the branch that Sasuke was sleeping on, gently lifting the raven's head onto his lap and softly stroking the wet strands of hair off of his face.

Sasuke visibly softened, velvety lips parting ever so slightly as a soft moan was elicited from between them. Naruto watched in fascination, stroking the pale skin of Sasuke's cheek, dipping slightly after his cheekbones.

"Beautiful…" Naruto whispered hoarsely, barely aware he'd said anything at all. What he wanted more than anything was to delicately trace the raven's soft pink eyelids, the shape of his nose, the sensual contour of his lips. Those beautiful lips, the very same lips that had been haunting his dreams but were so much more in person. Breathing out a gentle sigh, he went back to combing his fingers through the black locks, marvelling as the fine strands slipped between the digits.

Something wasn't right.

His head was on something too hard to be moss, but too soft to be the tree he was sure he had fallen asleep on. Maintaining the long, drawn breathing patterns one adopts during sleep, Sasuke attempted to find out more about his surroundings. Rough bark was beneath him, so he was still on the tree. Soft warm fingers were stroking his hair, and the delicious scent of the musk that surrounds Naruto filled his nose. Sasuke stiffened.

Naruto felt him stiffen underneath his fingers, and looked down in surprise. Coal eyes widened like a deer's in headlights stared back up at him. Shocked out of the trance-like daze induced by Sasuke's eyes, Naruto shot to his feet as the raven had scrambled up and was about to jump off the branch and flee again. His arm snapped out to snag Sasuke around the waist and he pulled him flush back against him, pale arms trapped under bronze ones.

"Please don't run away again… I don't like it when I don't know where you are." Naruto whispered. Sasuke felt Naruto's breath tickle his ear and gave a light shudder, struggling to get out of the emotionally painful embrace, knowing he could never be with the blonde who's arms were wrapped around him just the way he'd always wanted. But he was too strong, in this position there was no way he could escape.

Naruto felt the fight drain out Sasuke, feeling his lean muscled body go slightly limp and no longer straining against his hold. Tugging the raven down onto his lap, the pair were seated against the trunk of the tree, high in the air on their wide branch. Trusting that he wouldn't run away again, Naruto released one of his hands and went back to stroking Sasuke's silky hair.

He was doing it again. It was a weird sensation, but so calming, so smooth, and there was something so _Naruto_ about it. As much as Sasuke would deny this later on, he leaned back into the touch, unconsciously relaxing at the strange familiarity of it.

"You must hate me." He whispered squeezing his eyes shut, not wanting to see the nod in agreement he was sure would come.

"I don't hate you, Sasuke, I could never hate you. You're my best friend and I love you." He said it so casually, so off-handed that Sasuke just _knew_ it was only as a friend, or as a brother if he was lucky.

"Not in the way I want," came the cracked whisper, slipping past his lips before he'd even thought about the consequences. But then again, what consequences mattered now when Naruto already knew his previously best hidden secret?

"I never said that, did I?" The blonde's voice murmured softly, the musical lilt all but gone as Naruto's voice lowered sombrely.

Sasuke opened on eye in confusion, raking the others features to garner the meaning of what the blonde had just said. "Wh-what?"

"I love you, Sasuke."

_Oh my god. I said it. I actually just said it. Shit, how will he respond? Was it just a quick fuck he wanted, a fling? But… no… Sasuke wouldn't have been that much of a mess if it was just that… would he?_

Naruto felt Sasuke's breathing speed up, shock etched into every feature. He looked into the raven's eyes worriedly, searching for the answer he wanted, uncertain if it even existed. With great caution, he started to lower his head, blue eyes still locked with black, still searching as Naruto brought his lips down over the plush velvet of Sasuke's.

_What's happening? Am I still dreaming? I must be… Naruto says he loves me, and then kisses me of his own volition? Must be dreaming…_

He saw the hurt in those beautiful blue eyes and felt the pressure on his lips lift. The blonde mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "fuck, I'm so sorry" before he made to get up and leave.

Panicking, Sasuke let out a choked "Naruto, wait!" before lurching after the blonde's hand, tugging him back down, down into Sasuke's waiting arms. "Don't leave me, I-I love you. Please, I'm scared I'm going to lose you."

Naruto's feature softened immediately. _Why does it suddenly feel like I can breathe?_ Giddy in relief, the blonde started giggling and laughing, outright grinning when Sasuke gave him an odd look. "Come here!"

"Hn." The raven smirked and consented to Naruto's embrace, turning his head to catch the blonde's lips at the right angle.

**Hi everyone. Not sure why I wrote this really. I'm half high on red bull and half dead cause it's wearing off, so do excuse any errors that are a result of my lazy I'm-not-editing-this. If there are any mistakes, feel free to message me and tell me about them in a TOTALLY NON JACKASS WAY, that would be lovely thanks. **

**Anyway, since my last update like, several hundred months ago, I've gone on to get two national gold medals in my sport plus a bunch of state ones, gotten over my depression completely (I think, one can never tell with crazies like me), and just a few days ago gotten out of a really bad relationship. Yay :) **

**Please review, you know how much I love that, and tell me if I should upload a lemon chapter to this, cause I was quite content to just leave it on a sweet note, even though it was originally intended to be a oneshot smut fic… woops :D**


End file.
